Each Day is a Gift...

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present." ~Babatunde Olatunji

Kids at play by K. Weller

Gift: a notable capacity, talent, or endowment; something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation; the act, right, or power of giving. Merriam Webster Dictionary

Every day of the week, except weekends, I get Joel Osteen’s “Today’s Word with Joel & Victoria.” Each message helps me start my day with a hopeful spirit and work at focusing on the good; not always an easy task in these challenging days. Today, I got a message bearing the title of my post and it definitely got me thinking… Each day we have life is a gift. How are we spending our day? What are we focused on? Are we treating the day like the gift it is? Are we putting off today what we hope to do tomorrow? 

We go through our daily routines focused on the chores ahead, mindlessly moving from one event to another with not much thought on the here and now. Our eyes and minds fixed on the future; the what-ifs of our wishes, desires and plans. We pay short shrift to the present, as we barrel ahead with visions about what the future offers. We ignore the fact that what we do today affects what happens tomorrow… I am guilty of this too.  

Sometimes, in our future focus, we ignore the needs of loved ones, forget friends birthdays,  and spend time worrying about future events that haven't happened. We push an argument or quarrel that needs to be addressed and forgiven under the table, in hopes that it will go away, or perhaps, that it will return to be addressed another day.  We sit with the pain of ancient hurts and postpone, again and again, an opportunity to seize the moment and heal the wounds. Tempus Fugit. When someone in your life has hurt you deeply, remember the pain and don’t inflict such pain on others. I share this because I remember the death of a childhood friend.
 More below…

“Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” ~ Psalm 90:12 

Each Day Is A Gift: Cherish it...

 The memory is no longer fresh but the facts remain the same…  I had a friend in middle school; we’ll call her Jane and I had lots of fun playing and laughing with her. We played at recess and shared a love for story telling; the more bombastic the story, the better. We occasionally had spats about trivia, a game one won that the other lost, a story gone awry, and the interference of other friends. You know -- the usual stuff.

One day we had one of our spats and she said something very hurtful about me to our mutual friends. When I found out, I confronted her, words were exchanged and more hurtful things were said. We vowed to never be friends again! It was all quite silly but at the time we didn’t know better. At different points in the school term, friends intimated that we should make up. We were reluctant to do so even as we quietly agreed the fight was silly, but neither of us made the first move.

A few weeks before the school term ended, Jane went to visit her family for a relative’s wedding and on her way back to school, there was a terrible car accident and she was killed.  News spread rather quickly, and soon other friends were rushing over to tell me she was dead.  It was devastating news for me and I was filled with regret that I never had a chance to mend fences with her and continue our friendship. She was young, smart and vibrant and had her life ahead of her. We never imagined this would happen to Jane and yet it did… We all mourned and shared our sorrow of never saying goodbye or telling Jane how much we cared. 

When I read today’s message, I was reminded again how valuable each day is for each of us, and how we must seize each moment and treat it with great care. Tempus Fugit.  As we rush around, gathering stuff for the holidays, and making plans for the new year, let us take a moment to be grateful for the here and now…. Each day is a gift!

Today’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of today. I choose to focus on the blessing of each moment instead of allowing the little things to steal my joy. Keep me close to You always as I submit every area of my heart and mind to You.                                               

In Jesus’ Name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen

What thoughts do you have on the subject of cherishing each day as a gift? Do you have a sad memory that has inspired you to live fully in the present? Do Share.

***Sad News:  Rest in Peace – Elizabeth Edwards

R.I.P Elizabeth Edwards 1949-2010

On a very sad note, Elizabeth Edwards lost her battle with breast cancer today.  She was the brilliant, energetic, estranged wife of former presidential candidate and North Carolina senator, John Edwards.  She was with her beloved family when she died and is survived by John and three children; Cate, Emma and Jack.

Recently, Elizabeth had written a message on her Facebook page; sadly, now viewed as a farewell note:
“You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces – my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope,” she wrote. “These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined.”

Her family released a statement today saying:
“Today we have lost the comfort of Elizabeth’s presence but she remains the heart of this family,” her family said in a statement. “We love her and will never know anyone more inspiring or full of life. On behalf of Elizabeth we want to express our gratitude to the thousands of kindred spirits who moved and inspired her along the way. Your support and prayers touched our entire family.”
May her entire family find comfort in the wonderful memories they shared… She will be missed by many. My deepest sympathies to her loved ones.
 

PHOTO/LYRICS CREDITS: Gifts under the Xmas tree via Wikipedia
Picture of Kids at play by Keith Weller via ARS. USDA ,

Picture of Elizabeth Edwards by Scott Olson via Getty Images

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank